Welcome to the most comprehensive The First Descendant tier list available! As a looter shooter with diverse character abilities, knowing which Descendants excel in different situations can dramatically improve your gameplay experience. This tier list ranks all playable characters based on their overall effectiveness in endgame content, versatility, and team contribution. Whether you’re new to the game or a veteran looking to optimize your squad, this guide will help you make informed decisions about which characters to invest your time and resources in.
Our tier list evaluates characters based on several key factors:
| Name | Key Stats | Special Abilities |
|---|---|---|
| Viessa | High Frost DMG, Decent HP | Frost Road, Ice Shards, Cold Snap |
| Lepic | High Explosive DMG, Moderate HP | Overkill, Grenade, Napalm Shot |
| Kyle | High Shield Capacity, Moderate HP | Shield Generator, Shield Bash, Shield Charge |
| Jayber | High Tech DMG, Low HP | Turret, Drone, EMP Blast |
| Name | Key Stats | Special Abilities |
|---|---|---|
| Ajax | High HP, Moderate Shield | Taunt, Shield Wall, Ground Slam |
| Gley | High HP, Moderate Shield | Bloodlust, Life Drain, Blood Sacrifice |
| Valby | High Mobility, Moderate HP | Hydro Ejection, Bubble Shield, Mist Step |
| Blair | High Fire DMG, Low HP | Fire Wave, Flamethrower, Explosion Chain |
| Name | Key Stats | Special Abilities |
|---|---|---|
| Bunny | High Mobility, Low HP | Speed Boost, Lightning Dash, Thunder Bomb |
| Sharen | High Stealth DMG, Moderate HP | Cloak, Backstab, Smoke Bomb |
| Enzo | High Tech DMG, Low HP | Hacking, Decoy, Data Mine |
| Yujin | High Healing, Low HP | Heal Burst, Revive, Protective Field |
| Name | Key Stats | Special Abilities |
|---|---|---|
| Freyna | High Poison DMG, Low HP | Toxic Cloud, Poison Dart, Venom Burst |
| Hailey | High Range DMG, Low HP | Sniper Mode, Spotter, Headshot |
| Lunacia | High Summon DMG, Moderate HP | Summon Drone, Energy Shield, Repair Bot |
Viessa dominates the battlefield with her exceptional frost abilities that both control crowds and deal substantial damage. Her Frost Road ability creates a path of ice that slows and damages enemies, making it perfect for area denial. Ice Shards provide excellent single-target damage with a chance to freeze enemies solid, while Cold Snap offers a powerful escape mechanism that also damages nearby foes. What sets Viessa apart is her ability to synergize with almost any team composition, providing both offensive and defensive value. Her main weakness is her relatively low health pool, requiring careful positioning in high-level content.
When it comes to raw explosive damage, few can match Lepic’s destructive power. His Overkill ability amplifies all explosive damage dealt, making his grenades and napalm shots absolutely devastating. Lepic excels at clearing groups of enemies quickly, with his Grenade ability offering excellent area control. His Napalm Shot creates lingering fire zones that continue to damage enemies over time, perfect for choke points. While his damage output is unmatched, Lepic struggles against highly mobile bosses that can quickly escape his area-of-effect attacks. He’s also relatively squishy, requiring careful positioning to avoid being overwhelmed.
Kyle stands as the premier defensive character in The First Descendant, with an impressive shield capacity that makes him nearly unkillable when built correctly. His Shield Generator ability creates a protective barrier that absorbs massive amounts of damage, protecting both himself and nearby allies. Shield Bash offers a decent offensive option that also knocks back enemies, creating space in tight situations. Shield Charge allows Kyle to quickly reposition while protecting himself from incoming fire. While his damage output is lower than S-tier offensive characters, Kyle’s survivability and team support capabilities make him invaluable in difficult content, especially for players who prefer a more defensive playstyle.
Jayber brings a unique tech-focused playstyle that excels in both solo and team settings. His Turret ability provides automated firepower that can hold positions while Jayber focuses on other objectives. The Drone ability offers additional damage and can be upgraded to provide various utility functions. EMP Blast is particularly valuable against mechanical enemies, temporarily disabling them while dealing significant damage. Jayber’s versatility is his greatest strength, able to adapt to almost any situation with the right build. His main weakness is his low health pool, making him vulnerable if his tech assets are destroyed.
Ajax serves as the team’s frontline protector, with a high health pool and abilities designed to draw enemy attention. His Taunt ability forces nearby enemies to focus their attacks on him, protecting more vulnerable teammates. Shield Wall creates a temporary barrier that blocks incoming projectiles, offering protection during intense firefights. Ground Slam deals area damage while knocking enemies off balance, creating opportunities for follow-up attacks. While Ajax excels at protecting his team, his damage output is below average compared to other characters in higher tiers. He’s an excellent choice for players who enjoy a tank playstyle but may feel underwhelming for those who prefer dealing high damage.
Gley offers a unique vampiric playstyle, healing herself by dealing damage to enemies. Her Bloodlust ability increases her damage output while also providing lifesteal, allowing her to sustain through prolonged engagements. Life Drain offers targeted healing at the cost of damage output, useful in emergency situations. Blood Sacrifice is a high-risk, high-reward ability that deals massive damage to enemies at the cost of some of Gley’s health. This self-damage can be offset by her lifesteal abilities, creating an interesting gameplay loop. Gley’s main weakness is her reliance on dealing damage to survive, making her vulnerable when facing enemies with high defense or immunity to her attacks.
Valby’s water-based abilities provide excellent mobility and defensive options. Hydro Ejection allows her to quickly traverse the battlefield while damaging enemies in her path. Bubble Shield creates a temporary protective barrier that can absorb significant damage, providing a safe haven during intense combat. Mist Step offers a short-range teleport that can be used to dodge attacks or reposition for better angles. Valby’s mobility makes her excellent for objective-based game modes where quick positioning is crucial. Her damage output is moderate, but her ability to quickly respond to threats across the battlefield makes her valuable in almost any team composition.
Blair brings the heat with her fire-based abilities that excel at dealing damage over time. Fire Wave creates a cone of flames that damages and ignites enemies, making it perfect for crowd control. Flamethrower offers sustained damage that can melt through enemy defenses, especially those vulnerable to fire. Explosion Chain creates a series of detonations that can spread through groups of enemies, clearing entire rooms with a single activation. Blair’s abilities synergize extremely well, with multiple ways to apply the burning status effect. Her main weakness is her low health pool, requiring careful positioning to avoid being taken down before her damage-over-time effects can eliminate threats.
Bunny’s lightning-fast abilities make her the most mobile character in The First Descendant. Speed Boost allows her to traverse the battlefield at incredible speeds, perfect for quick repositioning or escaping dangerous situations. Lightning Dash provides a short-range teleport that damages enemies along the path, creating both offensive and defensive value. Thunder Bomb launches an electrical device that damages and stuns enemies in a small radius, offering some crowd control capability. While Bunny’s mobility is unmatched, her damage output is below average compared to other characters, and her low health pool makes her vulnerable if caught out of position. She excels in objective-based modes where speed is more valuable than raw damage.
Sharen specializes in stealth-based gameplay, with abilities that allow her to remain unseen while dealing devastating damage. Cloak renders her invisible to enemies for a short duration, allowing for safe repositioning or ambushes. Backstab deals massive damage when striking enemies from behind while cloaked, rewarding careful positioning. Smoke Bomb creates a cloud of smoke that obscures vision, providing cover for herself and allies. Sharen excels at eliminating high-priority targets silently but struggles in prolonged direct confrontations. Her effectiveness is highly dependent on player skill and understanding of enemy patrol patterns, making her less accessible for new players.
Enzo’s tech-focused abilities provide unique utility that can turn the tide of battle when used strategically. Hacking allows him to temporarily take control of mechanical enemies, turning them against their allies. Decoy creates a holographic copy that draws enemy fire, providing distraction and creating opportunities for attack. Data Mine places an explosive trap that detonates when enemies approach, dealing significant damage in a small area. Enzo’s abilities require careful planning and timing to maximize their effectiveness, making him less straightforward than other characters. When played well, he can control the battlefield in ways no other character can, but his impact is highly dependent on the player’s tactical thinking.
As the dedicated support character, Yujin focuses on keeping her team alive through challenging encounters. Heal Burst provides instant health restoration to nearby allies, making it invaluable during intense firefights. Revive allows her to bring fallen teammates back into the fight without using valuable resources. Protective Field creates a temporary barrier that reduces incoming damage for allies within its radius. While Yujin’s healing capabilities are unmatched, her damage output is extremely low, making her feel underwhelming when playing solo or in content that doesn’t require sustained healing. She’s essential for difficult group content but may feel unnecessary in easier game modes.
Freyna’s poison-based abilities focus on dealing damage over time while weakening enemies. Toxic Cloud creates an area of poison that continuously damages enemies within its radius. Poison Dart applies a potent toxin that deals damage over time and reduces enemy defenses. Venom Burst releases a cloud of poison in all directions, damaging nearby enemies and applying various debuffs. While Freyna’s damage-over-time effects can be effective against high-health enemies, they’re often too slow to eliminate threats quickly. Her abilities also have limited effectiveness against enemies immune to poison, making her situational at best in most content.
Hailey specializes in long-range combat, with abilities that enhance her effectiveness at a distance. Sniper Mode increases her damage and range while reducing her field of view, perfect for eliminating distant threats. Spotter marks enemies, increasing the damage they take from all sources. Headshot provides bonus damage when striking enemies in the head, rewarding precision. While Hailey can deal impressive damage from a safe distance, she struggles in close-quarters combat where her abilities provide little value. Her effectiveness is also highly dependent on player aim, making her less accessible for those who struggle with precision shooting.
Lunacia’s summon-based playstyle focuses on controlling the battlefield through automated allies. Summon Drone creates a flying companion that attacks enemies independently. Energy Shield provides a protective barrier that absorbs damage before depleting. Repair Bot can restore the health of both Lunacia and her mechanical allies, increasing their longevity. While Lunacia’s summons can provide additional firepower and utility, they often have limited intelligence and can be easily destroyed in difficult content. Her personal damage output is also below average, making her feel underwhelming when her summons are unavailable or ineffective.
For beginners, I recommend starting with Kyle or Viessa. Kyle’s high shield capacity provides a forgiving learning curve, allowing new players to make mistakes without being immediately punished. Viessa offers a good balance of offense and defense, with abilities that are straightforward to use but still effective in most situations. Both characters can handle early-game content comfortably while teaching important game mechanics.
For endgame content, Lepic and Jayber currently stand out as the most powerful options. Lepic’s explosive damage can quickly eliminate elite enemies and bosses, while Jayber’s tech abilities provide versatile utility that adapts to various challenges. Both characters require some investment in gear and mods to reach their full potential, but they offer unmatched performance when properly built.
Certain characters excel in specific team compositions. Ajax makes an excellent tank for teams with high-damage but low-survivability characters. Yujin is invaluable for difficult content where sustained healing is necessary. Blair pairs well with characters that can group enemies together, maximizing the effectiveness of her fire-based abilities. Building complementary teams around these characters can significantly improve your success rate in challenging content.
Character tier rankings typically shift with major game updates, balance changes, and the introduction of new content. The developers regularly adjust character abilities to maintain game balance, so it’s worth checking for updates after each major patch. Additionally, new characters are occasionally introduced, which can shake up the existing meta and change how current characters perform relative to each other.
Absolutely! While tier rankings provide a general guideline for character effectiveness, player skill and proper gear investment can make even lower-tier characters perform well in most content. Freyna, for example, can be devastating against bosses vulnerable to poison when built correctly. The most important factor is choosing a character whose playstyle you enjoy, as you’ll naturally perform better with characters you’re comfortable using.
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